Room 12

The procession carries on from one canvas to the next. Trumpeters, trophies and the spoils of war turn Julius Caesar’s victories in Gaul into a public display of Roman power. Six canvases from Andrea Mantegna’s nine-part Triumphs of Caesar are shown here. Mantegna worked for the Gonzaga rulers of Mantua and studied ancient texts and monuments. His Rome also draws on the costumes and performances of his own time. Follow the changing density of the figures, then step back to see how the separate paintings hold the parade together. The series belongs to the Royal Collection and is displayed here on loan. It was brought to England for Charles I in the 1620s.